ego

If there are 7 Billion people on earth, there are so many personalities, with concepts, ideas, fears, conditionings, and all other flavors of life that one could possibly think about. As I have always mentioned, constitution wise, we are “hand-made” and not a factory product that looks and feels alike and whenever man tried to create evenness among his subjects, serious tragedies took place; wars, death and displacements happened. Look into the history of man-kind, you will understand what I am talking about.

Life as a Stage Show

Each being on earth is unique, irrespective of the species. This also implies on one’s free will. We create our destiny. We ourselves, through our own thoughts, words, emotion and action created our own destiny. We are the creator or script writer of our own life. Soul is only the aiding factor or the fuel that fulfils the journey – the energy that made the script into action. Nobody else is responsible for your life, your experience, even though many a time, you need co-actors to bring forth effects in experience. So, many actors sequentially join and leave the play and each actor has his or her relevance in the play. None is less or more important. Everyone added their flavor. In your life story, you are certainly the hero and the rest are the supporting actors. But, for each supporting actor, they are the hero of their own script. Comedy, tragedy, drama, action, horror, satire and all its variations are usually part of every script. Each actor represent different flavors of life. They join hands and spice up the drama of your life. They make it worth it. Sometimes the show makes you cry, sometimes it makes you laugh, sometimes it creates fear, sometimes love. The story continues. Many characters happen in the play.

Concepts and questions such as why cannot god remove evil from earth makes no sense when we understand how the infinite power operates. God is neutral, just like our own soul. It is objective, non-interfering and in perfect detachment from the actor or the action. God allows all characters to come and perform on the stage or it never interferes at least. Since each player is also the script writer of his own drama, God allows the experience of the play, irrespective of its theme and reason. There is no good and bad in God’s realm. There is only truth and experience. Man goes through many relative truths before he understands and attains the absolute truth. This trial and error is part of every being’s life. God shall not take away this experience of existing in duality until one finds his unity. Duality is indeed the state as well as experience that leads one to unity. This truth cannot be underestimated. Without duality, there is no creativity. When me and my father becomes one, there is nothing to experience anymore. Only when the object and the experiencer are separate from one another, there is an experience. When eyes becomes one with the sight, there is nothing to see. When tongue becomes taste, there is nothing to taste. When ego and all identities dissolve and man becomes one with God, there is no more search. There is only beingness.

This state can be achieved only at the end of the drama. The chosen script should be acted and completed before the merger can happen. The audience or the operator cannot interfere and change the script nor duration. Sometimes, some characters attain sudden death and disappear from the drama. Even this is part of the original script even though it may seem to the audience as quite dramatic. This is the chosen effect, by the script writer. If a WOW! happens in the lips of the audience, the script writer attains fulfillment, even if it means a tragedy.

Social Role Play

Society consists of all sorts of beings. Variety in looks and variety in flavors makes life worth it. Monotony and stagnation always creates boredom, stress and delivers a depressed existence. Motivation to excel helps maintain energy levels. Society works on systems. Various players make it complete. The job of a policeman, doctor and an engineer are distinct and each of them add value to the overall collective existence. A doctor is expected to cure illness while a policeman is expected to maintain law and order. Each one has his chosen path and expressions. One cannot be replaced by the other, even though there could be possible combinations.

There are expressions in beings which brings forth happiness or sorrows or both. Various expressions from various flavors of love – the highest being unconditional love – to lesser emotions such as greed, hatred, jealousy, anger so on and so forth. These are all flavors that the script writer wrote in his personal drama of life, out of choice of out of ignorance. What has the God, the audience or spectators got to do with it?

If someone ever states that God or Guru should prevent evil from spoiling the broth of life, it is indeed a sign of perfection in non-understanding. Just as the soul, the energy and electricity does not interfere in our thought process, words of action, and just assists fulfillment, God shall not remove duality at any cost, unless it chooses to remove relativity and dissolve everything back into itself. Until the huge universal drama ends, the smaller – much micro dramas will continue. God shall not pull the plug.

Coming back to our realm, If everyone does his part well, society would be a better place. If a policeman handles law and order honestly and purposefully, people will live in peace. If the ruler is objective, selfless and benevolent, people will live fearlessly. If laws ensure justice on time, crime will be less. When greed and selfishness dominates a society, calamities will happen. When purposelessness dampens the morale of the society, wars will happen. These are some of the basic ground rules of existence.

Thus, as individuals are creating their own script of life, the society is built up on collective scripts. No God or Guru is responsible for that. Duality or relativity made life possible in its existing variety. Minus relativity, there is no creativity. Minus creativity, there is no experience, or fulfillment. Minus fulfillment, there is no reason for existence. So, how can God interfere? He is the facilitator and not the creator of the micro dramas. If your rulers and policemen cannot prevent crime, if the education systems cannot develop higher awareness in society, what has God got to do with it? It is the problem with the operating levels of the society which consists of people. It is not the job of a saint to maintain law and order. His job is to guide those who choose to come to him, follow him and stay with him to higher levels of awareness. In that effort, miracles can take place. No true guru will perform miracles of higher or lower impact, just for the sake of creating thrill in people because siddhis bind and often enslave the performer. It is indeed the faith of the disciple that facilitates it. Those who come to test gets nothing. Those who develops faith can spontaneously experience higher realities. As Jesus said “May your faith heal you”. No true Guru will also interfere in the free will of the people or society. The star villains of our epics such as Hiranya Kashyapu, Kamsa, Ravana or Mahishaasura had their own free existence before being deleted from the system by avatars that came specifically for this extermination job. There were saints and higher masters living in those periods too. Why was the duality maintained? This is how the universe operates. Society that craves for peace should create awareness. They should shed greed and jealousy. When greed for profits achieve insensitive proportions, the soul of earth suffers. The environment decays. The Guru or God has nothing to do with it. One last question on the same subject. Even if a Guru or God comes forward and volunteer to cleanse the society, and prescribes the ways to do it, will the subjects follow it unconditionally? If yes is the answer, we would have already done that. We would not have assassinated Jesus and Socrates – those who only spoke truth. We would have lived according to the teachings of Bhagawat Gita, Ashtravakra Gita, Avadhootha Gita or the great eternal teachings of saints who followed Sanatana Dharma. We would definitely have lived by the teachings of Gita and Satcharithas. There should be clear understanding before we complain about our own state. Who is creating them, maintaining them, and enjoying them? This is important to realize.

Pseudo Spirituality

Why are many still groping in darkness as far as spirituality is concerned? Good question. This is because people are going after “feel good” stuff, cults and organized patterns while each one of us are unique creations and every capsule cannot suit everyone. The comfort zone spirituality cannot ensure any growth. Stillness is the nature of the supreme God. If the aim is to achieve that, shedding is important. Everything should dissolve and there can be no duality. Only oneness with the God. Until we achieve that, we need to practice witness hood objectivity, and stillness. Many people who are in the path are just entertaining themselves with activities believing that more activity will get them more results. This is perfect non-understanding. Beingness evolves the man and not doingness.

Gratitude Matters

Good question. Gratitude will indeed help in spiritual growth. But, people forget fast as they are using their conscious mind for their daily life. They go after glitters and others opinions instead of own experience. Jesus healed many leprosy patients. There was no cure for leprosy during those days. Leprosy patients were locked and sealed in caves and left to die! They walked with a bell around their neck to warn people. Yet, once they were healed, they dissolved into the society without even a glance of gratitude for the healer. Their ego did not permit them to declare in the society that they were leprosy patients in the past. Jesus did not expect any gratitude though. It would have been a great evolution for the consciousness of the patients, if they stood up and thanked the healer; nor did they come to his assistance when Pilate asked the question if Jesus should be pardoned. All those who benefited by Jesus never gave anything back to him. This is the nature of our society. Gratitude is good for the seeker. The real guru wants nothing.

Mohanji has given the practical prayers to be in harmony with ourselves and others and pointed out the depth of the benefits of surrender. He explains possible misunderstanding of the word ‘surrender’, too.

Love,

BTW Team

Surrender purifies us completely

My Beloveds

Surrender, is one of the words in human languages that is most misunderstood in usage. Surrendering to someone is a big hit on one’s ego. It diminishes one’s self-esteem. Having to surrender is considered as a weakness or a deficiency, in terrestrial terms, where ego decides actions.

While, in spiritual terms, this is a good thing. Man minus ego = God. So, surrender nullifies our ego and then the Godhood within us starts to shine. This is why we prostrate in temples and monasteries. When our head and heart come in one line, horizontally, ego is under control. When we bow down in reverence, we nullify our ego, at least temporarily. Bhakti or Devotion has a lot of value because it brings ego under control. Ignorance expands our ego while surrender brings it under control.

Bhakti or Devotion has a lot of value because it brings ego under control.

Traditionally, our ancestors used to practise some simple methods to maintain health and keep ego under control. Here are a few chants and their explanations.

When we wake up in the morning, after lying horizontally the whole night, our energy pattern in the body would have changed. Its frequency would have altered. While sleeping, the energies of our body has attained a tranquil, passive state. It is more latent energy. When, we wake up, we must give time for energies to start moving, preparing the body for action. In order to provide this time, they suggest lying down and look at the palm instead of jumping out of the bed and being vertical all of a sudden, which can affect the rhythm of the heart and adversely affect the meridians of our system. There is a mantra to ease our getting up. Look into the palm of your hands and chant ” Karagre vasate Lakshmi, Kara moole Sarastwati. Kara Madhya Sthitha Gowri, Prabhate Kara darsanam” This means, At the tip of our hands or fingers stays Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Lakshmi never stays constant at any place. Money changes hands. Fortunes change too. So, it always stays at the tip of our fingers. Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge stays at the opposite side, that is, the root of our palm near the wrist. Acquired knowledge stays with us till we die. It is more stable in terrestrial terms. In the middle stays Goddess Parvati, the kindness incarnate, the mother. She balances the knowledge and action. She enhances wisdom. With this knowledge, if you see your hands and remember the pattern of our existence, it will give sufficient time for the latent energy to move in an even fashion within as well as give us a balanced outlook. It also enhances our commitment to selfless work. It activates kindness and reverence within us. This also is a reminder that it is the god energy in us that makes things happen in our life. This is also meant to nullify our ego and surrender to the supreme.

Then we sit up in our bed. Our body has become vertical from horizontal. Energy has started moving differently. Then, we need to earth it off as we were lying horizontal before. In order to achieve that, we chant “Samudra Vasane – Paadasparsam Kshamaswame” and we bend down and touch the ground with our right palm, which is the opposite side of where our heart is. This earths the excess energy which we accumulated or conglomerated during our sleep and saves our heart as well. This is why we earth the energy through the right hand. Then we are ready for the day.

There is also one version of the same hymn where it says that Lord Krishna stays in the middle of the palm (Kara Madhye tu Govinda:). Well, He is the Guru of the Universe. If He stays in the middle of the palm, we can only function with total equanimity and detachment. He has blessed us with the Great Bhagawad Gita and if we follow His teachings and function with detachment, we attain liberation.

Morning chant, to balance our energies and frequencies. Lying down, look at the palm and chant, “At the tip of our hands or fingers stays Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge stays at the the root of our palm near the wrist. In the middle stays Goddess Parvati, the kindness incarnate, the mother.”

Then we sit up for a few seconds in our bed before we stand on our feet. This is good as it helps the body rhythm and the flow of prana through our meridians. When the feet touches the ground, we pray “Samudra Vasane Devi, Parvata Sthana mandale, Vishnu Patni Namastubhyam, Padasparsam Kshamaswame”. This prayer is to the Goddess which we call Earth, even though we address it to the wife of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi. “One who pervades the water and mountains, or One whose body is the oceans and mountains, I prostrate to the Goddess and please forgive me, as I step on you or tread on you.” This is reverence to the mother Earth. If we have such reverence to the mother Earth, we will never be insensitive towards her and destroy her. So, we thus seek her permission to walk on her for our purpose. We remain in gratitude. This time also gives our body an easy pace between horizontal to semi vertical and totally vertical. It helps to keep our energies even and well circulated. It maintains our meridians.We are mentioning earth and water, the basic two elements in our body. Samudra (ocean) represents the water element in us which is regulated by our hara chakra. And Parvata (mountain) represents the earth element as well as potential for the highest elevation in us – the kundalini energy. Hence this is also invocation for both the elements, mother kundalini and also the other elements in us, with the prayer to assist us as we move through the day. If kundalini energy inspires us, wisdom will flow. It also says be conscious right when you wake up until you sleep. And always live on prayers and surrender.

Sit up and chant, “One who pervades the water and mountains, or One whose body is the oceans and mountains, I prostrate to the Goddess and please forgive me, as I step on you or tread on you.” This is reverence to the mother Earth.

Then we stand up, looking towards the rising sun in the east, remembering Lord Vishnu or His Avatar, Lord Krishna, the maintainer of the universe, and chant – “Kaayena Vaacha, Manasendriyaiva, Buddhyatmanaavat, Prakrite Swabhavaat, Karomi Yadyat, Sakalam Parasmai, Sri Naarayanaayeti Samarpayaami”. This means, Whatever I perform today, with my body, mind, intellect, senses, speech, my nature and character, I surrender everything at the Lotus feet of the Lord Narayana.” Narayana means the destination of man or the Supreme Father. Everything came out of Him and will merge back into Him. So, this prayer is to the Supreme Lord. When we start our day with this chant, and this understanding as well as surrender, we will accept all that happens that day with equanimity and poise and our desires or expectations will be totally under control. Even if things do not happen as we expected, we will not be perturbed and will start to accept it as the Will of Lord Narayana.

Then, stand up turning to the sun and chant, “Whatever I perform today, with my body, mind, intellect, senses, speech, my nature and character, I surrender everything at the Lotus feet of the Supreme.”

Then, we conclude our day with the surrender mantra, requesting complete forgiveness for all our actions, thoughts,and words. “Kara charana Kritam Va, Kayacham Karmacham Va, Shravana Nayanacham Va, Manasam Vaaparadham, Vihitam Avihitam va, Sarvametat Kshamaswa, Jaya Jaya Karunabdhe, Sri Mahadeva Shambho, Sri Sai Natha Sambho.” This is the final prayer before we go to bed. It says, Whatever I performed today, with my organs of action such as hands and legs, organs of perception including senses, mind and intellect, all that I performed as per your wishes or against it, due to my ignorance and non-understanding, Oh Lord, please forgive everything, please forgive me, my supreme Lord Shiva, My Lord, Sai Baba. (They are one)

End your day with surrender mantra, “Whatever I performed today, with my organs of action such as hands and legs, organs of perception including senses, mind and intellect, all that I performed as per your wishes or against it, due to my ignorance and non-understanding, Oh Lord, please forgive everything, please forgive me, my supreme Lord.”

As we surrender all that happened that day at the feet of the Supreme Lord, from where everything originated and perpetually dissolves, we become free from all bondage. We become detached from all our thoughts, words and action. Thus, Surrender purifies us completely. Also, we are surrendering all our activities of the day at the feet of Lord Vishnu who maintains and supports existence. He is the one who maintains creation. Preservation is His job. 🙂 And at the night, we are laying ourselves at the feet of Lord Shiva, the dissolver. He dissolves existence. He merges us with our creator. Each night, we are re-born, as we dissolve our identities during deep sleep and regain it as we wake up. So, we are requesting the lord of dissolution to forgive everything and help us dissolve smoothly into emptiness and provide us a blissful sleep. So, readers may kindly note that in the morning, we are requesting for continuity in thoughts, words and action so that all that we perform on that day bear positive results and in the night, we are requesting forgiveness which helps smooth dissolution into the lap of the Almighty without terrestrial entanglements. Those who carry hatreds and heaviness of hearts, may kindly be aware of this. One prayer goes to Lord Vishnu and the other to Lord Shiva. Both are essentially one. Both are expressions of one Parabrahma.

Surrender in spiritual sense is a great thing. It helps liberation from the birth-death cycle. The same method can be followed by people who follow any faith of their choice. The main thing is the attitude of surrender, to your chosen deity or Master or Prophet and leave all ownerships at His feet. He does everything. The whole existence belongs to Him. (He does not mean a male. Gender has no value here. It can be the Supreme Energy which is formless, genderless.)

Surrender in spiritual sense is a great thing. It helps liberation from the birth-death cycle. The same method can be followed by people who follow any faith of their choice.